Elementary Chapel Sample (Grades K-4 2016-17)

Each week the Elementary Chapel Connection (grades K-4) is sent home with students in grades K-4. The following is a sample of elementary chapels from the 2016-2017 school year.

WTCS Elementary Chapel Connection – May 30, 2017

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12

The seventh grade class came and spoke to the elementary students once again for chapel today. And again, they did a fabulous job!! (If you see a seventh grader, please say a big thank you!) The theme of their presentation was “Practice Makes Perfect” as they talked to the younger students about the importance of reading God’s Word. Several seventh graders gave demonstrations of skills they have learned through hours and hours of practice. We were able to see art work, several sports skills, and even computer skills. Two artists showed the elementary students pieces of art they drew a few years ago, and those pieces weren’t bad at all. But then they showed a piece they had drawn recently after much hard work and practice and those pieces looked a lot different than the first ones! They were more detailed and were very beautiful. Several of the seventh graders demonstrated their skills in different sports. We were able to see baseball, football, and basketball skills as the students talked about how they developed their skills. They all said it took a lot of practice, hard work, and determination. Two of the seventh graders demonstrated how they are now able to edit a website after much practice and attending a special camp to learn more skills. After they led the elementary students in a couple of songs, they talked about how even the artists who recorded those songs had to work hard and practice to get really good and singing and playing instruments. They encouraged the students to apply this to their spiritual lives – it takes determination and practice to grow spiritually. Just like you can’t expect to become a star athlete by going to just one practice and then never working on those skills again, you can’t expect to grow spiritually if you just read your Bible once and then leave it closed. One student shared with the elementary kids that he has been following the Lord for quite some time and loves to read his Bible. He shared his favorite verse with the students. All of the students who gave demonstrations talked about how they weren’t really that great at their skill when they started, but after years of practice they improved. Several of the students also talked about coaches, camps, practice times, and lessons where adults taught them skills and helped them improve. This can be applied to spiritual growth as well. Find a trusted adult (parent, grandparent, teacher, coach) and ask them to help you in reading and studying your Bible. The more you read and practice studying your Bible, the better you will become at it. It is hard work sometimes, but it is worth it.

Prayer Focus: WTCS StudentsToday was the last chapel service for the Kindergarten class. Mrs. Johnson led a special time of prayer for them. Please take time this week to pray for all of the students at WTCS. Pray for the seniors as they make plans for life after high school. Pray for any students who are moving to another town or a different school. Pray for the students who will return to WTCS next fall. Please pray that they will desire to draw closer to Jesus during the summer months. Pray they will read their Bibles. Pray for safety and wisdom and peace. Pray that they will shine the light of Jesus everywhere they go during the summer months.

*Next week is the last chapel service so you have one more chance to send an offering for Jipson. We continue to support him even during the summer months, so if you can, please send something for the offering basket next week!

*The May Bible Reading Challenge sheets are due to Mrs. Johnson tomorrow. If you have finished Hebrews and James please turn your sheet into her. The summer challenge is to read the four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Our last chapel of the school year will be held on Tuesday from 1:00-1:40. We would love to have you join us!

ChapelConnection – May 16, 2017

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Miss Ashley Fagerland was our chapel speaker this week. Miss Ashley graduated from WTCS last year and spent her first year of college at Trinity Bible College in Ellendale, ND participating in a program called “Pack Your Bags”. It is an 8 month program dedicated to God and missions work. Miss Ashley chose this program because she was unsure of what to do after graduation, and when she prayed and asked God to show her His plan, this is the door He opened for her.

During the 8th month program, Miss Ashley and the other students traveled to Wanblee, SD and worked at “The Glory Ranch” mostly tending gardens which grow food for the people who desperately need it. In the evening hours, they held youth group meetings to share Jesus with the young people there. The next stop for Miss Ashley was Chicago and Milwaukee. In these places they served people who live in poverty and often were homeless. They handed out backpacks with basic toiletry and other items and prayed with the recipients of the backpacks. They served in soup kitchens and prayed with several people. Then Miss Ashley went to Africa! She spent time in South Africa at an orphanage, a school for students with special needs, and in other public schools. They were able to minister to kids and share the gospel of Jesus in all of these places. She talked about the language barrier and how often, the students from America and the kids in Africa could not understand one another, but she also told us how wonderful it was to know that God understood both of the languages when they were praying to Him. They worked at feeding programs in South Africa to fill the people’s bellies and meet a physical need while they were praying and sharing the good news of Jesus to meet their spiritual needs. Miss Ashley taught the students who were in chapel a song in the Zulu language and it was wonderful to hear them singing praises to Jesus in Zulu! After the time in Africa was finished, Miss Ashley and her classmates spent some time in Israel. This was a time for them to learn and experience the places where Jesus actually walked when He was on earth. Miss Ashley told the students that her time in “Pack Your Bags” taught her to love Jesus and love your neighbor – whether your neighbor lives next door to you or all the way across the world.

Prayer Focus: Pastors and Missionaries Please pray for the men and women God uses to lead churches and to tell people all over the world about Him. Pray for their protection and encouragement. Pray that they spend time in God’s Word and that He leads them in truth. Pray for unity in churches. Pray for missionaries to learn the language where they are and have opportunity to share the Gospel.

** Thank you so much for sending offering for Jipson! We had over $30 in the offering basket this week! Please continue to send your dollars and coins. We support Jipson even through the summer months. Can you bring a dollar on Tuesday? Or a few coins? Every cent goes to Jipson.

Bible Reading Challenge HEBREWS and JAMES are the books for May’s Bible Reading Challenge.

Chapel is held every Tuesday from 1:00-1:40. Parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, aunts, uncles – you are all welcome to join us! We would love to have you worship with us in chapel.

Elementary Chapel Connection – April 4, 2017

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:9-10

The 7th grade class led elementary today and they did a great job! They began the time with prayer and three songs. (I think the elementary students liked “God is on the Move” best.) The 7th graders then taught the elementary students about bullying and how much it hurts to be bullied. They reminded the younger students that just because someone is mean or says an unkind thing, that doesn’t automatically make them a bully. Some people just act like meanies sometimes. They did a little demonstration where three people said a sentence and the younger students had to decide which was the bully, which was the meanie and which was the “nicey”. After they had done this, the younger students looked under their chairs to find a bottle of water. The 7th graders told them that water is essential for us to survive, and if we don’t get enough water we will become dehydrated and sick. It is the same with the love and knowledge of Jesus – we become spiritually sick if we don’t drink enough of Him in. They reminded the younger kids that bullies might act the way they do because they haven’t been “drinking in” enough Jesus by prayer, spending time in the Word, and worship. To end the chapel time, they broke up the students into small groups and had a time of prayer. It was very special to see the older students excited and willing to minister to the younger ones. If you see any of the 7th graders, please take a moment to say THANK YOU. They really did a great job!

Prayer Focus: WTCS: This week is Spiritual Emphasis Week. Please pray that God’s Word goes deep into the heart of every student as they read and memorize this week. Pray for the teachers to have wisdom to speak into the lives of their students. Pray that there is a spirit of humility over WTCS and that everyone there longs to be close to Jesus and follow His ways.

Offering: Please pray for Jipson and his family. Please send your extra change to chapel next week to put in the offering basket. All of the offering goes to Jipson as we sponsor him through Compassion International.

Bible Reading Challenge: The April Bible Reading Challenge is to read the 1&2 Peter, 1&2 Timothy, and 1, 2, &3 John. Keep track of your reading at home, and Mrs. Johnson will hand out sheets after Spring Break.

**Chapel is held every Tuesday from 1:00-1:40. Parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, aunts, uncles – you are all welcome to join us! We would love to have you worship with us in chapel.

Elementary Chapel Connection – March 29, 2017

“Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking…” Hebrews 12:25

Our chapel speaker on Tuesday was Mrs. Francine Duckworth. She is currently a teacher in Williston, but has served as a missionary overseas with her husband. She told the students that when her husband was 8 years old, he felt God call him into missions. She reminded the students that God speaks to kids, and it is very important that we all learn His voice so we can listen when He is speaking.

Mrs. Duckworth shared stories of miracles that she saw while she was living as a missionary in Samoa. (Ask your student how God provided fire for a family who needed it for cooking. If your student needs a reminder, tell them the answer might hit them like a bolt of lightning if they think really hard while they are trying to remember…) Mrs. Duckworth also told of a time when she and her kids prayed every day for three weeks and asked God for a pump organ for their church. Then a call came from a friend asking if they needed a pump organ! Her 5 year old knew that God was the one who told the lady who offered the organ that the church needed one. God uses prayer to provide for needs, even when the answer is 5000 miles away!

Mrs. Duckworth asked the students to pray for a young man who needs Jesus. He has been given the gift of correction of club feet though the modern day miracle of surgery, but he still needs Jesus as his Lord and Savior? Will you please take some time to pray for him this week?

The chapel time was ended in “listening prayer”. Mrs. Duckworth reminded the students that the most important decision they will ever make is to accept Jesus into their lives as Savior and the second most important decision they will ever make is to follow Him in obedience. So they prayed and asked God “What do you want me to do with my life?” and waited and listened for an answer. Please keep praying that prayer and listening to God’s voice so you can walk the path He has laid out for you!

(Reminder: one of the best ways to become familiar with God’s voice is to spend time in His Word! Those are His words, and as you get them in your heart, you will be able to hear Him more clearly all around you!)

Prayer Focus: OUR WORLD: Please pray for the many people around the world who need to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Pray for God to speak to them through people and dreams and visions. Please pray that people who do know Jesus will share the Good News with those who don’t. Pray for missionaries all around the world that they will be effective in spreading the Gospel of Jesus to unreached people groups.

Offering: Please pray for Jipson and his family. Please send your extra change to chapel next week to put in the offering basket. All of the offering goes to Jipson as we sponsor him through Compassion International.

40 DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE FOR LENT:The school board is still looking for families to participate in 40 days of prayer.They would like every day claimed by a family or individual to cover the school and our surrounding community in prayer until Easter. There are still several days that are not claimed yet, so please stop in the office and sign up to pray for at least one day during this season!

Bible Reading Challenge: Just a few more days left to finish ROMANS, EPHESIANS, and PHILIPPIANS!Turn in your green sheet to Mrs. Johnson before Monday, April 3 to receive your prize. (Actually, the time you spend reading the Word and how it helps you grow in Jesus is the real prize!)

**Chapel is held every Tuesday from 1:00-1:40. Parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, aunts, uncles – you are all welcome to join us! We would love to have you worship with us in chapel.

Elementary Chapel Connection – March 23, 2017

“And we know that God causes everything to work togetherfor the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” Romans 8:28

What a great day at chapel – Miss Vivian was our speaker! (It is always a treat for the kids to hear from Vivian Kalmik!) Miss Vivian brought a quilt to chapel. It was a beautiful quilt that a friend made for her. She told the kids she was going to make a quilt right there in chapel – she had the colorful fabric pieces there and she just threw them up in the air and tried to make the quilt that way. (It didn’t work, in case you were wondering.) Then Miss Vivian went on to talk to the students about how beautiful things like quilts need to be designed and they have to fit together and it takes work and planning.

Miss Vivian taught the students a lesson about Fanny Crosby and how she became blind when she was a baby because a doctor made a mistake. Fanny and her parents chose to forgive the doctor and trust in God rather than become bitter. Miss Vivian read the story in the Bible of Jesus healing the blind man, and reminded them that while He could have healed Fanny’s eyes just like He healed that man, He chose not to. Sometimes God doesn’t take the bad things away, but He turns them and uses them for good. We have to trust God that He knows the very best for us, even if we don’t understand.In Fanny’s case, if He had healed her, she may never have written the 8000 hymns that she did. She kept trusting God and didn’t grow bitter and she let Him lead her along her path in life, even if it included blindness. The students sang along with the chorus of “To God Be the Glory” (a hymn that Fanny Crosby wrote). “Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice. Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, let the people rejoice. Oh come to the Father through Jesus the Son and give Him the glory, great things He hath done!”

This is a poem that Fanny Crosby wrote when she was 8 years old:

Oh, what a happy soul I am

Although I cannot see.

I am resolved that in the world

Contented I will be.

How many blessings I enjoy

That other people don’t

To weep and sigh because I’m blind

I cannot and I won’t

This week, when you are tempted to grumble and complain about circumstances in your life, take a moment to think about Fanny Crosby and this poem. Try to find at least one thing to praise God for and take a moment to give Him glory. See if your attitude changes. It probably will…

Prayer Focus: OUR NATION– Please pray for the leaders of our nation. Pray for their protection and that they will have wisdom as they make decisions. Pray that if they know Jesus they will grow closer to Him and if they don’t know Jesus, that they will find Him and follow Him as Lord and Savior of their lives. Pray for peace and unity in our country.

Offering– We sponsor a boy named Jipson through Compassion International. He lives in South America and our offerings help him and his family each month.Please continue to send offering and keep praying for Jipson and his family.

40 DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE FOR LENT– The school board is still looking for families to participate in 40 days of prayer.They would like every day claimed by a family or individual to cover the school and our surrounding community in prayer until Easter. There are still several days that are not claimed yet, so please stop in the office and sign up to pray for at least one day during this season!

**Chapel is held every Tuesday from 1:00-1:40. Parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, aunts, uncles – you are all welcome to join us! We would love to have you worship with us in chapel.

Chapel Connection – February 28, 2017

“Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.” Colossians 3:9-10

Our chapel speaker today was Mrs. Lonni Fleck. She spoke to us about the importance of honesty and the consequences of being dishonest and telling lies. Mrs. Fleck read Proverbs 6:6-19 to the students and had them listen very carefully for the words in the scripture that related to how they speak and honesty. Verses 16-19 say “There are six things the Lord hates – no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.” Mrs. Fleck used these verses to remind the students of the importance of honesty and remind them of how God feels about lying. (The verse says he hates it!) She talked to the students about how as Christians, we want to walk closely with Jesus and reflect Him to others, and we cannot do that if we make a habit of lying.

To demonstrate what happens to our relationship with God when we lie, Mrs. Fleck demonstrated with a fun science experiment. She sprinkled pepper into a bowl of water and the pepper flakes floated on top of the water. The pepper represented people. Then she took a Q-tip and moved in around in the water. The Q-tip represented God. As the Q-tip moved around the water, the pepper came close to it, some of the flakes even stuck to the Q-tip. But then she added dish soap to the other end of the Q-tip. This dish soap represented a lie. When the lie was introduced to the water, the pepper flakes scattered from the Q-tip. They could not come near the Q-tip when the “lie” (dishsoap) was in the water. It is the same way with our lives, when we allow lies to come in; they move us away from God. When we tell lies, those lies push us away from God. We need to keep lying out of our lives if we want to walk in close relationship with God. We serve a merciful God and He is always willing to forgive when we confess our sins to Him. Mrs. Fleck also reminded the students that even when they do stumble and tell a lie,it is important to confess to God and the people affected by the lie, and accept God’s forgiveness so they can begin to walk closer to God again.

Chapel Challenge – Be conscious of what is coming out of your mouth this week. Strive to always tell the truth. Think before you speak. Even if something is *mostly* the truth, stop before you say it and make sure is the whole truth before you speak. If you do stumble and tell a lie – a big one or a just what seems like an innocent white lie – make it right. Confess to God and to the person or people affected by the lie. Reflect Jesus with your words this week. Speak truth.

Prayer Focus: OUR NATION– Take some time this week to specifically pray for our nation. Pray for our leaders to have wisdom. Pray for unity in our nation. Pray that people in the United States turn to Jesus and follow and obey Him.

Offering– Please continue to send offering for Jipson. We sponsor Jipson through Compassion International. He lives in South America and our offerings help him and his family each month.

40 DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE FOR LENT– The school board is looking for families to participate in 40 days of prayer! Starting March 1st and continuing until Easter Sunday, they would like every day claimed by a family or individual to cover the school and our surrounding community in prayer. There is a signup sheet in the office, please stop by and take at least one day to pray for Williston!

Bible Reading Challenge– The new Bible Reading Challenge for March is ROMANS, EPHESIANS, and PHILIPPIANS. It is three books instead of just one, but they are shorter books. There is plenty of time to read all three in March! (Remember the song you sang in chapel today??? “Do what it says, do, do, just do it, do what it says” – you have to read the Bible to know what is in there so you can actually do what it says!)

**Chapel is held every Tuesday from 1:00-1:40. Parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, aunts, uncles – you are all welcome to join us! We would love to have you worship with us in chapel.

Chapel Connection–February 21, 2017

And He said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

Today In chapel we learned some more about China, but this time we heard it from Mrs. Deb Phalen, WTCS volunteer & international coordinator. We reviewed what we learned last week about China–it is the shape of a chicken, they make a lot of kites, their money is smaller & lighter than ours, most of the people there have never held a Bible or heard about Jesus. Mr. and Mrs. Phalen spent 15 years in China teaching University students. She showed us several pictures of these students and told about some who had come to know Jesus and are now sharing Jesus with others. Mrs. Phalen showed us a map of the world and we saw the difference in size of the various countries in the world. Even though China is not the largest in size, it is the largest in population. She reminded us of the verse that we all know very well from John 3:16. For God so loved the WORLD that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Each student received a picture postcard from the Phalens as a reminder to pray for the people of China. We prayed for the children of China to learn about God.

Chapel Challenge: Continue to pray for the people of China to come to know Jesus. Now you have two reminders–the coin from last week and the picture postcard from this week. Every time you see them say a quick prayer for China.

Offering: Our offering today was $5.60. Please continue to give offerings to help support Jipson. We heard from him recently and he appreciates our support very much.

Bible Reading Challenge: Keep on reading the Gospel of Matthew. There is just one week left in the month of February so try to finish reading Matthew this week and bring your paper to Mrs. Johnson.

*Parents and visitors are welcome to join us for chapel any Tuesday from 1:00-1:40. It is a blessing to listen to the students sing praises to God and pray. It’s always great to hear from our guest speakers about another aspect of God’s work in the world.

Chapel Connection – January 24, 2017

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-19

Miss Carley Cruse was our chapel speaker this week. Miss Carley attended TCS when she was in 5th through 8th grade. She shared with us that when she was 14 years old she went on a missions trip to Peru, and it was there that God spoke to her heart and told her that He created her to be a missionary in another country. She has been obedient to Him and is now a missionary in the country of Bosnia. As she lives there and meets people, the desire of her heart is to obey Jesus and make disciples. Miss Carley showed us a little video clip to help us understand what a disciple actually is. We found out that a disciple is a learner or a student. Jesus tells us to show people who God is and what He looks like and make disciples of them. We do this by spending time with people, showing them the love of God, praying for them and praying with them, showing them how to praise God, telling them Bible stories, and taking them to church with us. She also reminded us that Jesus gave us His promise that He is always with us as we are doing these things. We cannot make disciples on our own; we need the power of Jesus working in us.

Miss Carley told us that there are three ways to be involved in global missions. Some people give money to send missionaries, some people go to the countries all over the world, and some people pray for the missionaries and the people who need Jesus. There really is something that each of us can do for missions! Miss Carley has many friends in Bosnia who do not know Jesus and she asked us to pray for them. She assigned each class a family to pray for and gave them a picture of the children in these families to hang in the classrooms. Please take time to learn their names and pray for these precious children in Bosnia who need Jesus.

Chapel Challenge: Take some time to pray about how you can be involved in global missions. Have a discussion as a family about how you are involved or ways you could be involved, and either give, go, or pray!

Prayer Focus: THE LOST: Please take some time this week to pray for people around the world who do not know Jesus. Pray that God would open their eyes to His Truth by sending people to tell them and speaking to them in dreams and visions. Pray for the families in Bosnia who need to know Jesus. Pray for Miss Carley as she shares the love of Jesus with those who need to know Him. Pray for open doors and open hearts for the Truth of the Gospel to spread.

Offering: We received a letter from Jipson! He said he is in good health and is doing well in school. They had an earthquake where he lives and he told about praying with his family and not having electricity. He and his family are very thankful for the support we send each month and he said that they used the money we sent as a Christmas gift for a backpack, clothes, and a notebook. Please continue to send offering each week. We need $38 a month to continue to support him. This week the offering was $17. Thank you for your generosity for Jipson!

Bible Reading Challenge: You have one more week to finish the book of JOHN! Turn in your sheets to Mrs. Johnson by February 1 to receive your charm.

**Chapel is held every Tuesday from 1:00-1:40. Parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, aunts, uncles – you are all welcome to join us! We would love to have you worship with us in

Chapel Connection – January 17, 2017

“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back praising God in a loud voice.” Luke 17:15

Our chapel speaker on Tuesday was Mrs. Cyrena Weeks and she brought her breakfast to chapel! (Not really, but she did bring a big bowl of Rice Krispies to make a point…) She showed the students how small one little Rice Krispie is, yet how much noise it makes when the milk is poured on. Mrs. Weeks encouraged the students to be like Rice Krispies when they are talking about Jesus. She encouraged them to be loud for Jesus. She didn’t mean run around screaming like a crazy person, she meant to make sure we are telling other about Jesus because they need to hear. She read Luke 17:11-19 with the students (take some time to read it as a family!) and talked with them about what it meant to have leprosy. She told what an icky disease it was and how if you had it, you had to leave your family and friends and live a lonely, outcast life. She also reminded the students that when Jesus comes around, amazing things happen and He goes after people who are lonely and outcast and sick. Jesus healed all ten of those men with leprosy! They all got to go back to their families and friends and tell the story of the miracle that Jesus had done for them and show everyone the places where sores once hurt them but now in place of the sores was new, clean skin. They got to be loud about what Jesus had done for them. But there was something different about one of the men. He was excited to be healed, and he was on his way to tell his story, but he stopped and turned around first. He went back to Jesus and said thank you. What an important lesson we learn from that one man. It isn’t enough to just tell others what Jesus has done for us. We need to stop and go tell Him thank you, because only Jesus can do miracles and He deserves all the glory.

Chapel Challenges

Think about what Jesus has done in your life. Thank Him for it. 3. Tell someone. Go be a loud Rice Krispie for Jesus and tell your story. (Give Jesus the credit; don’t make it all about you!)

Prayer Focus: OUR NATION – Please take some time this week to pray for our nation. Pray for the upcoming inauguration of President Elect Trump. Please pray for peace. Pray against division and for unity.

Bible Reading Challenge – Keep reading JOHN in January! (Remember, you can also listen to the book of John if you have access to an audio Bible.)

Offering – Mrs. Johnson read a card from Compassion International that thanked the WTCS students for sponsoring Jipson. Please continue to spend money each week for Jipson.

**Chapel is held every Tuesday from 1:00-1:40. Parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, aunts, uncles – you are all welcome to join us! We would love to have you worship with us in chapel.

Chapel Connection – January 3, 2017

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19

It is always a good day in chapel when the students get to learn a new language. Our speaker today was Miss Savannah Bruch who is a missionary in Italy. She taught the students the song “The Name of the Lord” in Italian. It was so much fun to listen to them sing! Miss Savannah has been working at an international Bible college and church in Italy for about 10 months. She was kind enough to come speak to us while she was home with her family over the holiday break. She told the students she is working in Italy to help people learn the Bible, learn more about God, and introduce people to Jesus. Only about 1.1% of the people in Italy are Christians who have a relationship with Jesus Christ, even though there are a lot of churches and most people know about God. We need to pray that people in Italy will seek to know God. Miss Savannah had several pictures of life in Italy and talked to us about the college (sometimes they get to study the Bible in the places where parts of the Bible were actually written!); she told us about their puppet ministry and choirs that reach out to the community; and she showed us pictures of the ministry they do with children who need encouragement in their faith walk. She also had pictures of some of the vehicles and foods of Italy. One of her photos showed the words “Lo Scopo e Gesu” which means “The Purpose is Jesus” – may that be true of all of our lives no matter if we are in America or Italy or anywhere else! Miss Savannah had a picture of her church, which didn’t look very fancy because it is in a warehouse. She also had pictures of huge, old churches that were gorgeous and ornate and stunning to look at. The pictures were beautiful, but the sad thing about them was that people don’t go there to worship and seek Jesus. They are mostly just empty buildings to look at. The lesson of the churches was a good reminder that it doesn’t really matter what things look like on the outside; it is what is in our hearts and where our relationship with Jesus is that matters. Miss Savannah ended her time at chapel by saying “Gesu Vi Ama” (Jesus loves you) and “Dio Vi Benedica” (God Bless you) to the students.

Chapel Challenge: Anytime you eat either pizza or pasta this week, say a special prayer for the people in Italy to turn their hearts toward Jesus. (And remember what Miss Savannah told us – they don’t eat spaghetti and meatballs like we do, they eat fish with their pasta and their pizza looks way different than ours does. Unless you have French fries and vegetables on your pizza, that is.)

Prayer Focus: THE WORLD:There are so many people all around the world who need to know Jesus. Please take some time each day this week to pray for people to come to know Jesus. Say a special prayer for the people of Italy that they will seek God, read their Bibles, and that they will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Bible Reading Challenge: A new month means a new Bible reading challenge. Read JOHN in January! If you read just one chapter a day, you can finish in plenty of time. (Remember, you can also listen to the book of John if you have access to an audio Bible.)

Offering: Will you please bring a dollar for Jipson? We collect an offering each week in chapel to support a boy named Jipson through Compassion International. Please bring a dollar next week so we can continue to support him.

**Chapel is held every Tuesday from 1:00-1:40. Parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, aunts, uncles – you are all welcome to join us! We would love to have you worship with us in chapel.